Mission Statement

The Contemporary Dance Concentration at Southeastern Louisiana University is dedicated to the promotion of concert dance as a performing art by fostering the creation and performance of quality work within a non-competitive environment and at all levels of dance experience.  The Contemporary Dance Concentration emphasizes the importance of dance education within the art form and provides experiences and information leading to the development of a well-educated dancer, choreographer, and performing artist.

Southeastern’s Contemporary Dance Concentration is the first Louisiana college or university to offer Contemporary Dance courses within its Dance Curriculum as well as the only Dance Program in the state of Louisiana to focus specifically on Contemporary Dance within its Bachelor of General Studies with a Dance or Dance Studio Management Technology Concentrations, Bachelor of Education with a Dance teacher specialty content area, and Minor in Dance and Contemporary Choreography. 

As part of a tradition going back to 2013 when Director of Dance, Keith “Skip” Costa,  established it, each student completing 30 hours in Dance will receive their own full evening dance concert as part of their Senior Capstone Dance Thesis Project…an opportunity that prepares our students for real world readiness prior to graduation.

Southeastern’s Contemporary Dance Concentration encourages and facilitates originality in the creation and presentation of the artist’s work and provides experiences to enhance the technical skill level of the performer. The Contemporary Dance Concentration believes in providing the tools necessary to strengthen the student’s ability to communicate to the public through the art of dance, thereby enhancing the artistic quality of dance within the community.

Southeastern’s contemporary dance faculty are committed to the idea of combining the elements of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and technology for an honest approach to performance.